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coal-black

coal-black

1 4.1
A very deep black color like coal
  • adjective
  • /koʊl blæk/
translation icon : negro carbón
  • A soft cowl of coal-black hair encompasses a face whose dark, lustrous eyes look past my shoulders as my mother makes the introductions.
  • coal-black hair
  • coal-black eyes
  • coal-black skin

Examples

  • Only her hair was coal-black and yours is brown like the sparrow's wings.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • She had a fantastically exotic face: huge coal-black eyes, cheekbones Varushka would kill for, and perfect Nubian-bronze skin.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The coal-black void before him was gone.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The coal-black skeleton could have been beneath any tree they saw.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • There are the same coal-black eyes, the same upraised arms, but against a blue blanket this time.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His face was pure Schipperke, all fox and bat with coal-black eyes.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Just then, Lola Perez enters the living room, carrying a tiny infant with a splash of dark hair and round, coal-black eyes.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The iron-shod hooves of the coal-black horses and the iron-rimmed wheels pounded past them only inches away.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The two men were standing on the edge of a denuded ridge, looking out across a barren coal-black valley where thousands of Chinese workers toiled unceasingly.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The little boy's coat was a striking coal-black, making him stand out in the crowd.

Synonyms

black
vscoal-black
1.0

Very dark in color like coal or the night

is a focused intense example rather than the general class
blue-black
vscoal-black
4 3.6

Very dark color that is black with a blue shine

is a purer deep black lacking any cooler color hint
jet-black
vscoal-black
3 3.9

Very black like coal or a dark night

describes the same extreme blackness without naming a specific source
jet black
vscoal-black
1 2.8

A very dark colour like shiny coal

gives the same intense black quality without using that noun form
inky-black
vscoal-black
1 3.3

Very dark like black ink

is the same deep black but without the ink imagery
ink-black
vscoal-black
1 3.2

Very dark black like raven feathers in the sun

is the broad intense black sense rather than text-related imagery
coal black
vscoal-black
1 2.8

Very dark like the color of coal

is the standard descriptive term rather than a spaced phrase
jet
vscoal-black
1 4.7

Very black like coal

is the adjectival description focusing on the intense black color
bluish black
vscoal-black
1 3.7

A very dark color like black with a slight hint of blue

is a fully intense black without even a slight cooler tinge
pitchy
vscoal-black
7.9

Completely black like coal

is similar in depth but is a neutral color description
soot-black
vscoal-black
5.5

Very black in color like dust left by a fire

is the same intense black but described more generally
soot black
vscoal-black
4.9

A very dark color like the black dust from a fire

focuses on the color itself rather than the burned material image
sooty-black
vscoal-black
4.7

Very deep black like soot

is the general intense black description not tied to residue
slate-black
vscoal-black
5.6

Very dark black with a slight bluish grey tint

is purer and darker without any noticeable grey tint

How Black

pitch-black
8 3.4
jet-black
3 3.9
coal-black
1 4.1
black
1.0
dark
1.0

Surface Forms

coal-black positive

Morphology

coal-black = coal + black (transparent) = coal + black

The adjective is a clear compound of 'coal' + 'black' and its meaning ('very deep black like coal') is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

The word coal-black comes from coal, the dark rock used for burning, and black, the color. Because coal is so dark, coal-black means something that is 'very deep black', like coal or a night with no stars.